Gratitude

Short fiction

Photo by Monica Bourgeau on Unsplash

Fourteen-year-old Sammy Lopez and his mom lived in a single-bedroom apartment on Lower Main Street. Sammy slept in the living room on the couch. It didn’t bother him all that much because it was better than most places he’d slept throughout his life.

On Thanksgiving morning, he heard a knock on their door, and then a familiar voice: “Yo, Sammy Lo! You home?”

Sammy rolled off the couch, quickly folded his blanket, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was up till 3:00 the night before, and he had no idea what time it was or where his mom happened to be. Probably working.

“Mr. G?” Sammy called out as he put on some jeans. “Is that you?”

“The one and only. Now come on, open up – this is getting hot.”

Sammy unlocked the door and opened it. His assistant principal, Mr. Green, and his guidance counselor, Mrs. Brooks, stood before him. Mr. Green held a large aluminum tray in his hands. Steam was coming out the sides. Mrs. Brooks held a large box.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Sammy,” Mrs. Brooks said with a big smile.

Sammy didn’t know what to do. For some reason, he felt a lump in his throat.

“Have a spot we can set this down, bud?” Mr. Green asked.

“Yeah, yeah, um, right over here.” Sammy guided them toward the cramped kitchen where he cleared a space on the table.

“We wanted to make sure you had yourself a nice meal with mom later, and we know how busy she’s been. There’s turkey, stuffing, some rolls…all the fixings. Just don’t eat it all at once, alright?” Mr. Green said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Yeah, alright,” Sammy replied. “I really appreciate it, you guys.”

Mrs. Brooks gave Sammy a big hug and Mr. Green gave him his good morning handshake – the same one they practice in the hallway at school.

“Well, listen,” Mr. Green began, “we’ve got to run to a couple of other places, but we hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Thank you. I hope you both have a happy one, too.”

The two shuffled out the door and Sammy closed it behind them. He walked over to the window and watched them exit the building. As they got in their car, a wave of gratitude overcome Sammy. He couldn’t believe they’d taken the time out of their day to do this for him — for his mom.

Sammy watched them drive until they were out of sight, then figured he ought to set the table. Better yet, maybe he’d clean the apartment while he was waiting for his mother.

---

Thanks for reading “Gratitude” — I hope you enjoyed it.

I’m grateful for this fun fiction-writing community here on Substack. It’s been a blast interacting with many of you and getting the chance to share stories together. Thanks for being here!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone. Remember to check back in on Friday to read and write some fifty-word stories.

---